Mythborn: Rise of the Adepts (81 page)

Mindread
– The ability of a practitioner of the Way to assimilate and read the thoughts of another person. Extremely taxing in power, so the information retained is often incomplete or jumbled. However, it can lend situational context when paired with the caster’s own perceptions.

Mindspeak
– The ability for a practitioner of the Way to reach out and speak telepathically with another practitioner. Extremely taxing in its use of energy, but provides a near instantaneous connection through which thoughts and energy can be shared.

Niall Galadine
– Crown Prince of Bara’cor, seventeen years old. Trained in weapons combat, but never faced a live opponent. About to initiate his rite of passage to manhood, known as the Walk of Kings.

Piter Winterthorn
– Initiate apprenticed to Kisan, training for his adept’s Test, last name taken from the region near where he was found, master rank in bladed combat, adept rank in spellcraft.

Rai’stahn
– Ancient dragon, defender of the world at one time, now inhabits a small part of the Isle where the adepts train. Predator, powerful in the Way, able to regenerate, and able to assume many forms. Skilled in combat (immeasurable by common mortal rankings). Does not involve himself in the world’s affairs, till now.

Rai’kesh
– Ancient dragon and king of the dragonkind. Sits on the
Conclave and instrumental in giving Valarius Galadine a vision of the true nature of the Way. Some argue this caused Valarius to go down the fateful path he chose. Ordered Rai’stahn to kill Valarius at the battle of Sovereign’s Fall.

Ranks
– There are four tiers of rank, with many subdivisions. These four tiers are initiate, adept, master, and archmage.

All apprentices, once they pass their Test of Potential and earn their Green rank, are initiates.

Once an initiate passes his Test of Ascension, he or she wears the black uniform and gains the rank of adept.

From there, they test again for the rank of master.

Currently there are two masters on the Isle, Silbane, and Kisan. There are also three adepts, Giridian, Thera, and Dragor.

Tomas, Jesyn, Piter, and Arek are initiates preparing to Test for the rank of adept.

Lore Father Themun Dreys is the only Archmage on the Isle, and as such administers the tests of rank.

Ranks are also used to denote someone’s skill along these same four tiers, so a person with a master’s rank in bladed combat would be generally better than one with an adept’s or initiate’s rank.

Scythe
– Archmage, red-robed wizard who seeks Lilyth’s Gate, allied with Hemendra of the Nomads, archmage rank in all things magical, possessor of the Old Lore, and able to wield it as the Old Lords did.

Silbane Darius Petracles
– Master, skilled in all forms of combat and combat magic. Eighty years old and teacher of Arek Winterthorn. Appears to others as a man in his late thirties.

Tempest
– Ancient sentient sword, given to Arek for his protection. Said to have the power to heal its wielder from grave injury. Particularly fond of Ash, and Arek.

Themun Dreys
– Archmage, Lore Father of the Second Council of adepts, initiates the quest to ascertain the disposition of Lilyth’s Gate, master illusionist. Although over two hundred years old, appears to others as a man in his sixties.

Thera Dawnlight
– Adept, master rank in herb lore and medicine, skilled in healing and defensive arts. Orphan and found near Dawnlight, appears to others as a woman in her late forties.

Thoth
– Guardian of the Archives, member of the Conclave, a group made up of the Elder Races and dedicated to safeguarding life on Edyn.

Tomas Dawnlight
– Apprentice, first to Adept Giridian, then to Master Kisan. Preparing for his Test of Ascension. Strong, brave, highly intelligent and skillful in combining magic with strength.

Valarius Galadine
– General and High Marshal of the King’s forces at Sovereign’s Fall, Archmage and Lore Father of the First Council of Adepts, known for causing the first cataclysm of the world. Powerful, strong-willed, championed the idea that demons were actually the source of magic and ruin in this world. Once he preemptively started a war with the Aeris, he was stripped of his title and rank.

The Way
– An eldritch force that exists within the very fabric of space, allowing those that can tap into it the ability to manipulate time, space, and matter. There are many manifestations, limited only by the practitioner’s imagination and discipline. The Old Lords of the First Council used it to create spells that could alter the very nature of the world. The Second Council has honed it into a power that manifests itself in their bodies when they engage in martial combat.

Yetteje Tir
– Princess of EvenSea, cousin to Niall Galadine, on her pilgrimage to ascend to the royal throne of EvenSea, with her final stop on the Walk of Kings at Bara’cor. She is seventeen and stubborn, but brave and good with a blade.

Yevaine Galadine
– Queen of Bara’cor, wife of Bernal, sent from Bara’cor at the siege’s start with the young and weak to Haven,
capital city of Edyn, to deliver them and return with reinforcements.

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

Vijay Lakshman was born in Ottawa, Canada. He spent his early years in Bangkok, Thailand. When he was nine, his father took him to a martial arts exhibition and his life changed forever.

He dedicated the next thirty years to mastering the martial arts, his quest taking him across the U.S., Europe, and to China. In 1991 he earned his black belt and since has accumulated over 1,200 combat engagements against the best the world has to offer. His true passion however, is writing, and Mythborn his first epic fantasy novel.

He has created over eighty-five titles in his career as a video game designer and architect of game-based learning software, but spends his free time entertaining his curiosity. This includes researching useless facts on Google, testing ideas on combustion (only on household items), and writing more about
Mythborn
.

His experience includes graduation from the Harvard Business School, Georgetown University’s Mini Medical School, thirty years of training in karate, sixteen years of close combat grappling, fifteen years of kendo, six years of long-distance cycling, and taking various things in the house apart.

Putting everything back together is the job of his beautiful wife and two amazing sons.